Roughly one hundred miles southwest of my last stop at the Alligator Effigy Mound rests my last stop on this vacation road trip. Here, the second and more notable effigy mound rises from the earth. The Great Serpent Mound is certainly much larger and discernible. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a modest park has been built around the Native American construct to protect it and make it more easily accessible to visitors.
After paying the parking fee, I immediately begin walking the short paved trail that encircles the undulating coils of the serpent-like effigy. A somewhat rickety observation tower has been constructed to provide a birds eye view of the mound. I carefully make my way up. The view from here, approximately sixty feet above the ground is outstanding. From up here, one can see the seven coils of the snake spreading out over several hundred feet and rising three or feet above the surrounding ground in most places. Unlike the Alligator Effigy Mound to the northeast, there is no doubt what I'm looking at here.
Debates about the builders of the mound are ongoing, but the two leading theories attribute it to either the Adena Culture or the Fort Ancient Culture, having been built around either 320 B.C.E. or 1070 C.E. respectively. Whomever built it obviously had a grand scheme in mind, as the detail and massive nature of the venture leaves no doubt of the craftsmanship. But why did they build it? Many questions linger about such ancient endeavors, and will likely never be answered. For now, we'll just have to appreciate the amazing legacy these ancient peoples left us.
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